Archaeology for the people or of the people? The rise of archaeological projects involving local people has sparked lively debates about the ethos of the exciting new sub-discipline of community and public archaeology.

This conference will draw out from those debates important themes highlighted by recent and ongoing projects in the UK, exploring the wider issues faced by everyone involved. Topics will include: the impact of community and public archaeology on the rest of the archaeological world; who really benefits from public participation in archaeology; approaches to making archaeology both accessible and inclusive; top-down or bottom-up community archaeology - do the origins of a project matter; and exploring the different frameworks in Wales and Scotland. In the talks results of and lessons learned in major projects will also be reviewed. There will be ample time for both wider and more focused discussion prompted by audience questions.

The speakers are from a wide range of backgrounds and will share their experiences about initiatives which have sought to involve both community groups and the public in their local heritage at a number of different levels. They are:
ANNI BYARD, Portable Antiquities Scheme; RUSSEL COLEMAN, Headland Archaeology; PETE CONNELLY, York Archaeological Trust; TOM DAWSON, University of St Andrews (SCAPE Trust); DR GILL HEY, Oxford Archaeology; DR MIKE HEYWORTH, Council for British Archaeology; DR SIÂN JONES, University of Manchester; ANDREW MCLELLAN, Pitt Rivers Museum; JIM MCNEIL, South Yorkshire Archaeology Service; COLIN MERRONY, University of Sheffield; DIANA MORTON, Culture & Sport Glasgow; DR KATHRYN ROBERTS, CADW; TIM SCHADLA-HALL, University College London; FAYE SIMPSON, University of Exeter.

The conference is supported financially by English Heritage and sponsored by the Council for British Archaeology'. For further information, download the